This is my go-to healthy oatmeal recipe. It's creamy, nourishing, and delicious with all sorts of seasonal toppings! Find a few of my favorite combinations below.
Prep time: PT5M
Cook time: PT5M
Total time: PT10M
Rating
4.98 stars (35 reviews)
Keywords
how to make oatmeal, oatmeal, oatmeal recipe
Ingredients
1 cup water
½ cup whole rolled oats
Pinch sea salt
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or cardamom (optional)
Honey or maple syrup (optional)
Thinly sliced apple
Frozen tart cherries (thawed)
Chopped almonds
Frozen blueberries (thawed)
Orange zest
Greek yogurt
Chia seeds
Coconut flakes
Categories
Breakfast
Steps
In a small pot, stir together the water, oats, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 5 minutes, or until the oatmeal is thick and creamy. Stir in a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or cardamom, if desired. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 minute. Serve hot with honey or maple syrup, if desired.
To make the Apple & Tart Cherry variation, top with sliced apples, tart cherries, and almonds.
To make the Blueberry & Coconut variation, top with blueberries, orange zest, a scoop of Greek yogurt, chia seeds, and coconut flakes.
Reviews
Lisa on 2025-09-06 21:33:40 (5 stars): Perfect, thank you! I was hungry and made myself a.late night snack. Added some grinds of cinnamon as it set. Topped half with walnut syrup and walnuts, other half with walnuts and just-made peach butter.
Wanda C. on 2025-01-14 20:13:27 (5 stars): I always make my oatmeal with half milk and half water. I’d never tried tart cherries but they are awesome. A delicious and easy topping is the omega mix salad topping- sliced almonds, dried cranberries, walnuts, raisins and pumpkin seeds add crunch and sweetness plus extra nutrition!
Teo on 2024-01-03 18:20:11 (5 stars): I added too much water when i made this and i didnt see the serves 4 people thing so i ended up trying to finish it all myself. Apart from that it was great.
Jayashree on 2023-08-02 23:08:02 (5 stars): Loved it. So good. Today we tried
Thanks for sharing
Lulu on 2020-09-19 03:17:20 (5 stars): Thank you, Jeanine! When I saw Love & Lemons show up in my "oatmeal over the stove" search results I felt confident I'd come to the right recipe.
I forgot how easy it is to make it this way and it really didn't take much more time than the instant oats which have to site for at least 3-5 minutes. The quick oat packets are no longer necessary :-)
Sandra on 2020-06-19 10:22:08 (5 stars): Oh my gosh, I just tried your blueberry & orange zest combo in my plain oatmeal cup from https://shop.kodiakcakes.com/collections/kodiak-cups/products/plain-oatmeal-cup this morning, and I think i've found my new favorite breakfast. Thank you!! I also added just a pinch of salt and it really brought out the flavor, or at least I thought so.
Gaurav on 2019-12-04 06:03:43 (5 stars): Thanks for such a delicious recipe. Your Oatmeal Recipe is just yum, i loved it.
Kelly K on 2019-12-03 12:19:38 (5 stars): Thanks, Jeanine, for this delicious recipe. I am a big fan of oatmeal and looked for years to try to find a recipe for the memorable porridge I had at the Athenaeum Hotel in London.
I finally got close when I discovered "Scottish Oats" from Bob's Red Mill. I just added a little salt, a little brown sugar and a bit of vanilla, and cooked it down in water in the microwave. Milk may work also, but I've never tried that. Really yummy if you like creamy oatmeal.
